Castle in Liw, Poland

Erected at the beginning of the 15th century by the Masovian prince Janusz I the Elder.

After 1570, the castle became part of the Kingdom of Poland, which contributed to the decline in its importance - it ceased to function as a border stronghold. Administrative functions began to take precedence over military ones.

During the Swedish Deluge in 1656 and during the Great Northern War - on 1703, the castle was burned down twice by the invaders.

Over the following years - until 1918 - the ruins became a place for local residents to obtain valuable building materials.

In 1942, the occupation authorities began to dismantle the ruins to make building materials for the extermination camp being built in Treblinka. Then Otto Warpechowski (1917-1945) took action. This young Polish archaeologist convinced the starosta Ernst Gramss that Liw was built by the Teutonic Knights! The misled German officer not only gave up on the demolition, but also decided with his superiors to start rebuilding the castle at the expense of the Third Reich.

The works were supervised by Warpechowski with the knowledge of the authorities of the Polish underground state. Within 2 years, he filled the largest holes in the walls, tidied up the hill area, covered the tower with a roof, made ceilings and floors, and organized an archaeological exhibition of monuments discovered during the exploration of the ruins.

In the years 1955-1961, research was carried out in this area, and then the reconstruction of the preserved tower with a fragment of the wall and the manor house from 1782 began.

In 1963, a museum of old weapons opened here, referring to the military past of Liw as a stronghold on the border of the Duchy of Masovia and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.

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A oto ledwie widoczny #zamek krzyżacki w Nowym Jasińcu. Zdjęcie słabe, albowiem już na samym początku drogi jest "zakaz wstępu", więc właściciela pozdrawiamy wulgarnymi słowami, i idziemy dalej.

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Lublin Castle, Poland (part 2 of 2)

In the 17th century, the castle fell into decline due to wars and fires, particularly during the Swedish Deluge. Mainly the Renaissance chapel and the donjon survived.

In the 19th century, a neo-Gothic building intended as a prison was constructed on the foundations of the destroyed castle; the prison operated until 1954. During World War II, the castle served as a German prison, through which about 40,000 people passed, approximately 3,000 of whom died, including during a mass execution on July 22, 1944.

After the war, the castle was gradually transformed into the seat of the National Museum in Lublin, which still operates there today, housing valuable archaeological, numismatic, and ethnographic collections.

#zamek #castle #lublin #polska #poland #architektura #architecture #history #historia #photography #photo #lubelskie #miasto #city

Lublin Castle, Poland (part 1 of 2)

The origins of Lublin Castle date back to the 12th century, when a wooden and earthen castellan stronghold, the seat of a land official, stood on a hill. In the mid-13th century, a brick keep was built as a defensive structure, a Romanesque-style residential and defensive tower, which remains one of the most valuable medieval structures in Poland to this day.

In the 14th century, during the reign of Casimir the Great, the wooden fortifications were replaced by a brick castle with defensive walls, a western gate, a Gothic palace, a Jewish tower, and the Holy Trinity Chapel, whose polychromes from 1418 in the Ruthenian-Byzantine style are considered among the most valuable monuments of their kind in the country.

The turning point came with the siege of Lublin by the Tatars in 1341, after which the castle was expanded. In the 16th century, Sigismund the Old began a Renaissance reconstruction of the castle, giving it a monumental character, including strengthening the gate and adding attics.

In 1569, the Union of Lublin – the first real union in Europe – between Poland and Lithuania was sworn in within the castle walls.

#zamek #castle #lublin #polska #poland #architektura #architecture #history #historia #photography #photo #lubelskie

Trakai Island Castle, Lithuania
Part 3 of 3 - Fall, Reconstruction and the Present

In the 17th century, Trakai Castle, located in the then Grand Duchy of Lithuania (part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth from 1569), was severely damaged by numerous armed conflicts. In 1655, during the Polish-Russian War (1654–1667), when Russian and Cossack troops invaded Lithuanian and Polish lands, both the castle and the town of Trakai itself fell victim to plunder and destruction. Furthermore, between 1655 and 1660, during the so-called “Swedish Deluge,” the Swedes invaded large areas of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, including Lithuania, continuing their devastation of Trakai and the castle.

Despite reconstruction attempts in the second half of the 17th century, the fortress fell into ruin. By the 18th century, the structure was abandoned, and towns had developed around the castle. In the 19th century, the castle became an inspiration for Lithuanian Romanticism and symbolized national identity. The first archaeological and conservation work began in the late 19th century, and the first serious reconstruction attempt was undertaken between 1930 and 1935.

After World War II, between 1950 and 1984, the castle underwent a thorough reconstruction, restoring its appearance to that of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Since 1984, the Trakai History Museum has operated here, and the castle is one of Lithuania’s most important tourist attractions, symbolizing the region’s rich history and culture.

#troki #trakai #zamek #castle #pilis #litwa #lithuania #lietuva #historia #history #widok #view #landscape #architektura #architecture #photo #photography